The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-01-13
WORK OF THE MANICURE.
How Finger Nails Are Cleaned, Cut ana
po,,sh.a-rh. p.r,.,ac raethod.


Polished--The Parisian Method.
LET mo see your nails" said .he oper-
htor. She took the writer's hand and
cast critical glance at the nails. You
bite your nails, she said, "and that Will
never do if you expect to have nice look
ing. hands," With this remark she
rubbed small quantity of dull, brown
colored powder on the nails, and then,
with pad or BUFFER" as it is called
made of chamois skin-she rubbed them:
This accomplished, she put sort OF
ointment on the nails and placed the
hand in silver bowl filed with hot
water, while she gave her attention to
the left hand. This she put through the
same course, and into the bowl to soak IL
went to keep the other company. They
were allowed to remain there about ten
minutes. While waiting for the hot
water to soften the na.ls, the writer con-
sidered it a good time t. talk for points,
The operator very willingly conversed
about her business. She said: Il am
from Paris, in which city 1 studied this
art. Here is one of my models, she
said, laughing as she opened drawer
in hei Instrument case and took out
villa. rsemed to be a little roll of paper,
but what proved to be when the cover
ing was removed, a human finger. This
is what we use to study the anatomy OF
the nail, she remarked, as she noted the
rather curious glance the writer shot ut
her. She rolled up the hideous little
thing and placed it back in the drawer
"The anatomy of the nail is an inter-
esting study, like all other portions Ut
the body" she said. 1.-The nail is COM
posed of three layers. The inner one is
hard and has grain ranning length
wise. The next is porus or spongy, and
the outer is composed of scales which,
of course, can only be discerned by the
aid of a powerful microscope. The habit
which most people have contracted of
scraping the nails with knife or sharp
instrument is very injurious. The inneS
hard shell is scraped off and the spongy
layer exposed and dirt collects under
them. People clean their nails and
shortly after notice that quantity of
real estate has again gathered under
them. They wonder why it is. They do
not realize that every time they scrape
their nails they expose a spongy surface
to which dust will cling.
"The nails should never be cleaned
when the hands are dry, and an ivory
cleaner or scraper is the best thing to
use. l guess your nails have soaked
long enough now," she remarked, as she
removed the silver bowl from the tray
which had rested on the writer's lap.
With an ivory cleaner she delicately
scraped the nails, taking great care to
shape the ends, or rather the flesh where
it separates from the nail perfectly.
This took some time, and when it was
done ON one hand the nails were rubbed
with pink substance bearing very much
the appearance of vaseline, and the hand
was then wrapped in a napkin, where it
yemained till the same work had been,
performed ON the other hand. A file was
then taken, and with the greatest care
the ENDS of the nails were perfectly
shaped Care was taken that they should
be filed squarely in order to expose as
little as possible of the porous layer.
What little is necessarily exposed is on
cling. Then came very difficult and
delicate piece of work. The operator
took up a chisel, especially prepared, and
gently pressed the cuticle back from the
nail, separating it therefrom. The effect
of this was to lengthen it and prevent
hang nails. This done, she brought into
requisition q pair of peculiarly con-
Btructed nippers and trimmed the
cuticle. "Here is where the Parisian
method differs from the American" re-
marked the operator. "The American
manicures use curved scissors such as
are made for surgeons, and many times
accidentally cut the cuticle SO that blood
flows, or SO much so as to make the
finger feel sore and disagreeable. People
who have been to American manicures
find this, with one or two other methods,
source of much annoyance. With
} these nippers it is impossible to injure
the cuticle."
/, The nails having been polished i'm n
preliminary way, soaked, cleaned, cut
J and shaped, the final operation was
taken up. A pink pomade, differing
from that spoken of, was applied very
sparingly 1t was used to delicately tint
the nails, and after it had been carefully
rubbed on and cleaned Off where it had
, stuck to the cutice the buffer was again
used to polish them. A very brilliant
: "shine" was given the writer's "talons,
and. as he glanced at them he could see
his reflection almost clearly enough to
arrange his necktie. There" said the
operator, a think you will do" "How
much?" she was asked. "One dollar,
please" she replied. Herald.